03 August 2006

Have the driver bring the car around

My brother is traveling to Bangalore, India even as I type. In his last email to me he told me that the when you rent a car at Hertz in Bangalore the car comes with a driver. That got me wondering how exactly that works. Is it the same driver the entire time you have the car? What if you want to go somewhere at 2 AM -- will the driver be available 24/7? And what exactly does it cost to rent a car and driver?

I visited Hertz.com in the hopes of finding some more information, but the only facts I could ascertain are that there is, in fact, a Hertz outlet at the airport in Bangalore and that renting a mid-size car with air conditioning costs 3,135 INR per day. They don't mention anywhere that the car comes with a driver.

3,135 INR (Rupees) is about 67.40 US dollars per day.

Can you imagine being able to rent a car and a driver for $67.40 per day? Around where I live it costs at least $150 for a ride to the airport which is only about an hour away. From the little bit of googling I did on the subject, it looks like it costs upwards or $65/hour to rent a limo in NYC.

I am anxiously awaiting more details from my brother and will be sure to post an update as soon as possible. In the meantime I must share this video that my brother sent of traffic in Bangalore which clearly explains why you absolutely do need a driver.